Basil Potato Pancakes

 This recipe is packed full of fresh flavours. The basil gives the dish a bright essence accompanied by the hardiness of the potatoes. And yes! The basil also makes these pancakes turn a vibrant green colour. Maybe this will be a hit for Saint Patrick’s Day???

Ingredient List

• ·         3 small potatoes
• ·         ½ yellow onion
• ·         1 tsp salt
• ·         2 tsp red chili flakes
• ·         2 tsp ground black pepper
• ·         2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• ·         2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ·         Sesame oil for cooking

Preparation

First, slice your potatoes into small chunks and throw them into the blender. Next, you can add your onion and basil. And now for the fun part. Go ahead and blend these ingredients until they form a thick paste. But don’t forget the put the lid on the blender! Otherwise you may be cleaning potato slime off of the ceiling.

After the ingredients are blended, dump the contents into a large bowl. Then add in your flour and seasonings, and mix until they are evenly incorporated. The flour helps to thicken up the pancake batter ensuring they will not be too mushy when you fry them in a pan.

Alright, now for the second fun part! Cooking up the cakes! Make sure your pan is nice and hot with some sesame oil coating the base. You can use any cooking oil you like, I just adore the nutty, earthy flavour that sesame gives to any dish. This flavour compliments the ingredients in the pancakes so well. Once your pan is h
eated, pour some batter in the base to form two small pancakes. If you are a klutz like me I would not recommend making one large pancake at a time. When I tried to flip that baby it fell apart on me, losing its beautiful circular form. But if you’re brave, go right ahead. Fry the pancakes until they are golden brown on either side and then they are ready to eat.

In total, preparation and cooking time takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes. In my opinion, this is a nice, easy dish to make for you and/or your family.

Taste Test

Now for the third fun part! Which is my favourite part of this entire creation. Eating! This dish has such unique qualities when it comes to the flavours you will experience. You have a starchiness from the potatoes that fills your body with utter comfort. Then you have the fresh, vibrant essences from the basil. If you love basil, then this is the dish for you. Of course, the spices compliment the basil so incredibly well, with the pepper, chili flakes and salt. These flavours will feel like they are dancing on your tongue, creating a party in your mouth, bring out the disco ball! The textures of the pancake should have a spectacular crispness to the outside and a fluffy, pillow-like inside.

Furthermore, I would highly recommend pairing these pancakes with a savoury dipping sauce. We made two different dips. One with hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. The other dip had the ingredients mentioned in the previous sentence, in addition to garlic chili paste. One sauce is delightfully sweet and the other contains a remarkable heat. Both work so well with the pancakes to intensify your eating experience.

In summary, this recipe is bright, comforting and delectably savoury. If you are in the mood to try something new then I would highly recommend adding this recipe to your meal plan. And when you pair these pancakes with a lovely dipping sauce, the dish is amplified to wonderful savoury level. Hope you all have fun recreating this recipe and enjoy!